zacchaeus, coke, liberty mutual and the transforming grace of God

at the end of our study of titus a couple weeks ago, i was talking with one of the girls about attitudes with bothersome people, especially a particular teacher of hers, and how our christianity should be evident even in those situations. i reminded her of zacchaeus' words in Luke 19:8 that she had memorized last year: "but zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'look, Lord! here and now i give half of my possessions to the poor, and if i have cheated anybody out of anything, i will pay back four times the amount.'"

talk about a dramatic response to the presence of Jesus! we discussed what this would look like lived out practically in our lives. as an example, i suggested that instead of saying bad things about the teacher, a reaction of grace might be to bake her brownies - "because Jesus had mercy on me, and because i have spoken poorly of you." she said that she can't really bake brownies, and i said, "it was merely metaphorical."

after she left that day, i continued to think about the concept of the ripple effect of our truly living out of the transforming grace of God shown to us in the death of Christ. astounding. then i began to think about a coke commercial i had seen. (thanks matt c. for finding it and pointing out the liberty mutual ones, too)





if these companies "get it" enough to use this concept to sell us soda or insurance, how much more so should those around us understand that the grace of God has "gotten us?" so i'm gonna keep meditating on Titus 2:11-3:8 and looking to bake some metaphorical brownies to the glory of God!

new deepspace 5 is coming!!!

seems it's been awhile since i picked up bakesale to help 'em fund this one, but judging from this sweet video dust has done for "from the outside" the drop date is getting closer. :)

challenging quote (to say the least)

the following is from the chapter, "the discipline of the mind" in r. kent hughes' book "disciplines of a godly man":

"i am aware of the wise warnings against using words like 'all,' 'every,' and 'always' in what i say. absolutizing one's pronouncements is dangerous. but i'm going to do it anyway. here it is: it is impossible for any Christian who spends the bulk of his evenings, month after month, week upon week, day in and day out watching the major TV networks or contemporary videos to have a Christian mind. this is always true of all Christians in every situation! a Biblical mental program cannot coexist with worldly programming.... i am not suggesting a new legalism which forbids tv and the cinema. (there are many worthwhile things to view; moreover, while Christianity is by nature countercultural, it is not anti-cultural.) but i am calling for believers to take control of their minds - what comes in and what goes out."

definitely a thinker... this book was written in 1991 and quotes a 1984 survey that showed U.S. citizens viewing an average of 4 hours of television a day. i am sure that number has not decreased since then. using that figure, that's 28 hours of tv a week... think if even half of that time was spent in serious Bible study and prayer, in loving service to other Christians and neighbors, in talking with my family and friends... how much greater could my impact be?

Bible math

it never ceases to amaze me the way the Bible works together as a unified whole! as i read in Psalm 119:160 today, "the sum of your word is truth."

my old testament reading this morning had me in Numbers 7. this is NOT one of the more lively, exciting passages i have ever read. it takes place in the 12 days following the original setting up of the tabernacle and the consecration of the altar. on each successive day, a list is given for what each chief among the tribes of israel brings to offer for his tribe. it's a fairly long list with each one bringing a couple silver bowls full of grain, a gold bowl full of incense, oxen, bulls, goats and lambs... and... EACH ONE BRINGS THE SAME LIST OF STUFF! it gets fairly repetitive, but there is an impressive tabulation at the end: after 12 days, they'd brought 2,400 shekels of silver (60 lbs.), 120 shekels of gold (3 lbs.), 12 bulls, 24 oxen, 72 rams, 72 male lambs, and 72 male goats - and this was just the first 12 days of the sacrificing that would continue on for hundreds of year! All pretty mindblowing, but how does this account relate to me now? and more importantly, what does it teach me about God?

well, my new testament reading just happened to have me in Luke 23. (God is so cool the way He works out even the little details of what i'll be reading together in a day!) what's Luke 23 about? Jesus' trial before pilate and herod, His suffering at their hands, and His crucifixion.

the verses that immediately spring to mind are 1 Peter 1:18-19, "knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." praise God that He did Himself what i could never do, even with stacks upon stacks of sacrifices: pay the price for my sin with the blood of His own Son. may the preciousness of that impress itself more and more and more on me, and may the idol of my self-sufficiency be replaced by His all sufficiency!

"for since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? but in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year. for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.... but when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool at his feet. for by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." Hebrews 10:1-4, 12-14